Ball handling apparatus for billiard and pool tables



Q 1 Umted States Patent 111 3,545,751

[72] inventor Nlculollernandullerrios I [56] ReferencesCited (1/0 Bilhm,6 Clue UNITED STATES PATENTS 'i g 626,902 6/1899 Griffin 273/11 s:1,564,536.12/1925 Davidetal..... 187/24 g g- 2 2 2,534,770 12/1950116111165 273/11 1 2,627,321. 21953 13 bak 8724 451 Patented 06. a, 1970I 1 l [54] BALL HANDLING APPARATUS FOR BILLIARD 121(D), (E), 11, 1 KC),10; 187/24-26 Primary Examiner-Anton O. Oechsle AssistantExaminer-Thomas Zack Attorney- Scrivener, Parker, Scrivener and ClarkeABSTRACT: A billiard or pool table having a downwardly inclined runwayleading from each pocket and discharging into an open container which isattached to a nut on a screw shaft, which when rotated'causes thecontainer to move from a lower position where it receives balls from therunways to an upper position adjacent the playing surface of the tablefrom which balls can be easily replaced on the playing surface.

u ,3 54 J J 30 PATENTED 0E1: 8|976 3.545751 l INVENTOR NICASIO HERNANDEZBERRIOS BY ym fmMQfmM/mmw *ZM.

A TTORNEYS APPARATUS ron mmnn AND POOL TABLES DESCRIPTION OF THEINVENTION This invention relates broadly to the games of billiards, pooland the like and, more particularly, to apparatus for use in playingthese games. As is well known, the conventional and regulation billiardor pool table has six pockets and various games are played on it withdifferent numbers of balls. When a game is completed all of the ballsare in the pockets and must be gathered manually and replaced on thetable in order to begin a new game. This not only requires considerableeffort and time, but in the course of the'game more balls may accumulatein a pocket than can be accommodated and, in such a case, balls must beremoved from the overcrowded pocket in order to continue the game. I

It is very desirable that some means be provided for immediatelyremoving balls which fall into a pocket and, in addi- BALL I-IANDLINGtion, it is also desirable that some means be provided for collectingthe balls which fall in the pockets and accumulating these at a centrallocation. It has accordingly been a principal object of the inventionto. provide means which will accomplish these very desirable results andwhich, in addition, will move the balls from the place at which theyaccumulate to the level of the surface of the table so that they may beeasily placed in starting position thereon.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a billiardor pool table including the means provided by the invention foraccumulating balls and moving them to a position adjacent the surface ofthe table, and

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

In FIG. 1 of the drawings there is shown a billiard table having thelegs 2, the playing surface 4 and the pockets 6. Instead of theconventional leather or fabric bottom which usually closes the lower endof each pocket the table according to the invention is provided with adownwardly inclined central or main runway 8 which is positioned withinor below the body of the table and extends longitudinally thereof and issupported above the floor, and a plurality of downwardly inclinedsubsidiary runways 10, each of which extends to the main runway 8 fromthe bottom of one of the pockets. It will be seen that each ball fallsinto a pocket 6 will immediately roll downwardly along the inclinedrunways l and 8 to the lower end of the main runway.

Means are provided by the invention for accumulating the balls at andadjacent the lower end of the main runway 8, and such means areparticularly disclosed in FIG. 2 and comprise a framework which ispreferably in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped having the frontwall 22, the bottom wall 24, the end walls 26 and an open top which isclosed by a pivoted cover 28. This boxlike structure is attached to theend of the table adjacent the outer, lower end of the main runway 8, thebottom wall 24 being disposed below such outer end.

Within the box 20 there is mounted for vertical movement achannel-shaped, elongated receptacle 30 which extends within the box 20transversely of the end of the table. This receptacle has sidewalls 32,a bottom 34, end walls 36 and an open top and is preferably slightlymore than twice as wide as two billiard balls, as most clearly shown inFIG. 2. Within the boxlike frame 20 there is journaled a vertical shaft40 which is threaded throughout its length and is supported within thebox 20 by an upper bearing 42 and a lower bearing M. A motor Stl whichmay be AC or DC and is energized by a source of electrical energy 52 isprovided and is connected by a belt 54 to a pulley 55 on the lower endof shaft 40 and is operable when energized to rotate the shaft 40.Within the box 20 the shaft 40 is provided at its lower end with spacednuts 54 which are threaded to the lower end of the shaft and which,between them, carry a steel strip 56 which is welded or otherwiseattached to the lower surface of the ball receptacle 30.

OPERATION In the use and operation of the billiard table provided by theinvention the balls are placed in their starting position on the playingsurface of the table, and as the game proceeds they fall in successioninto the pockets 6. Each ball which falls into a pocketrolls down thesubsidiary runway 10 leading from the pocket to the main runway 8, andfrom runway 8 falls into the receptacle 30. When all of the balls havebeen played they will be accumulated within the receptacle 30 and atthis time the motor 50 is operated to rotate the shaft 40, causing thereceptacle to be raised to the top of the box 20. When it arrives atthis position the cover 28 may be opened, exposing the balls at thelevel of the playing surface. In this position they may easily removedfrom the receptacle 30 to the playing surface and placed in position topermit another game to be started. The motor is again operated, but in areverse direction, in order to lower the ball receptacle 30 toitsposition below the outlet of the main runway 8 where it againreceives the balls.

I claim:

1. Ball handling apparatus for a table for billiards, pool and likegames having a playing surface surrounded by a peripheral edge parthaving pockets therein, comprising:

a. a plurality of runways beneath the table, each of which is open atits one end to one of the pockets to receive balls therefrom, and isinclined downwardly from that end to a lower end;

b. all of said runways'terminating at their lower ends at a commondischarge point which is below the playing surface of the table andbelow the peripheral edge part of the playing surface;

c. a ball receiving receptacle normally positioned below the commondischarge point of said runways and below and outside the peripheraledge of the playing surface;

. means for raising the receptacle to a position outside and adjacentthe peripheral edge of the playing surface; said means comprising:

e. a vertical threaded shaft having a lower end positioned adjacent thenormal lower position of the receptacle;

f. a nut on the shaft connected to the receptacle;

g. a connection between the nut and the receptacle whereby the nut andreceptacle move along the shaft on rotation thereof; and h. means forrotating the shaft.

